Friends Come From On High
by Xiira-kun
Summary: A shinobi who realized the atrocity he nearly committed comes to Konoha to give an apology, but soon finds with no place to go, nothing would be wrong with staying here. Not with the friend he's gained.
1. Infiltration

Ok, this is indeed my very 1st fanfic. Hope anyone who reads it enjoys… please, I beg of you, do give me a review. Idc if it's all criticism XD I needz it. I'll give you a cookie if you do. =3

Enough delays, read on. =)

--x—x—x--

Wow…. forever later and here I was, approaching the Konoha wall. It surely took a fairly long time to get here, so I was relieved my journey was over.

I suddenly remembered I was wearing my headband, what kind of idiot was I? Did I seriously think I was gonna walk headfirst into Konoha wearing this thing…? The guards would have tried to kill me on site unless they were courteous enough to ask what I was doing…. but then again, it's not like I was gonna try to run in sword drawn as though I was here to rampage though the place. Wish I would ease up for once in my life…

I reached behind my neck and untied the loose headband before placing it in my pack. With a sigh, I stepped out from behind the bushes and calmly began walking towards the front gate. The 4 guards I could see there were staring at me with questioning eyes. I knew it was still obvious I was a shinobi, there was no questioning that. Must have been searching for the missing headband I'd imagined… Approaching the gate, I stopped in front of them knowing that, by default, they had to know why I was here. The man in front of me had a blue beanie on his head and a rather flawless face. He looked moderately slender; maybe 160 pounds or so… probably 5'7" since I was just minorly taller than him (at 5'9" mind you.) He spoke to me first.

"Hello there.", he stated simply. "What brings you to a place like this?"

I found that an odd question, so I gave him an equally odd response.

"I've been traveling here for a few days. I don't think I'm mistaken in saying this is Konoha. Correct?"

"Yup, this is the place. Of course, I can't let you enter without saying why… clearly you're not a shinobi of this village, but unmistakably a shinobi."

Looking at him a tad closer, I could see he was a tad cautious of me. I laughed within my own mind, and maybe even a bit out loud.

"What are you paranoid of?", I questioned him. "There is no shinobi in the world idiotic enough to march to the front gate of a village like this, alone, with an aggressive intention." His friend next to him seemed surprised.

He looked at me with a 'master of the obvious' sign in his brown eyes.

"Very true.", he replied. Seemingly enough, he didn't plan on speaking his thoughts of why I should say something so obvious. "If you're here for a legitimate purpose,", he continued while handing me a clipboard with a paper on it and a sharp pencil (sharp and long enough to make me think he hasn't seen much action lately), "then all I need you to do is sign your name. As well as why you're here, which you'll also have to tell me."

Simple enough. I took the pencil with my right hand and quickly signed 'Anari Kedoke', which was my real name, along with the real reason I was here: To rest for a few days. I handed him back the clipboard with the paper on it, with a smirk. He stared at me oddly.

"What's so funny?", he pondered, finishing reading the report.

Staring at him flatly, I responded "The second ninja from my left was using a jutsu to see my real name as I was writing. Am I right or wrong?"

All 4 stared in amazement. They were 100% sure I hadn't looked at any of them… until I said that, that is. It didn't matter; my real name was on the clipboard. I guess the fact I hadn't used my left hand considering I was left-handed was also a reason for the humor I felt.

He looked back at me sternly and said "Yes she was. I think you understand why that is."

"But of course!", I laughed. "And I'll suppose you need to know why I'm here with no form of ID as to what village I come from?"

He simply nodded, his fellow guards watching carefully. They knew if I was planning on attacking, this would likely be an ideal chance.

I gave him an honest look while showing him a pocketed Sand ninja headband, smirking inside knowing this wasn't mine, but the headband of a fallen assassin.

"I'm from the sand village, and I wasn't wearing this around because I believe someone was after me. Putting it away was to see if I could draw him out, but to no avail… I'm here to give your shinobi a mission to see to my protection, and hopefully, the capture of said stalker or assassin."

This false confession pleased them, and soon enough they let me through.

I'd successfully entered the village… now to see to my real purpose.

--x—x—x—

Hey, I don't think that went half bad! =D Better than I'd planned on if I were to be completely honest. Do give me a review, remember, there's cookies in it for you! (yes, from the dark side.)


	2. The Unveiling

Woot, time for 2nd chapter! By the end of this one, my hope is that all, if not most of the plot is revealed. I guess there's only one way to see how that'll happen. I'll have to type it out. So, no more delays included –bashes own head in for delaying you this long- (gomen…)

Enjoy! 3

--x—x—x—

Walking around the village, it was very clear how peaceful this place usually is. A smile tugged at my face to see children playing and laughing, along with normal citizens and people getting by the day… I'll admit it was hard to keep that smile inside. It was easily a heartwarming scene. I looked around hoping to find a tall building, and I spotted an apartment complex that was about 3 floors high. I figured that would do. I walked around to the back of it and hopped up onto a ledge on the 2nd floor, so no-one would see me and so I wouldn't have people I'd never seen before on the 1st floor asking me questions. From there, I casually climbed the stairs to the 3rd floor and looked around from on top of the building. I concluded the layout of the village must be archaic, in that the Hokage's office should stand out like the keep of a castle. So I hopped my way down from the building and began my walk towards the tallest building I could recognize from the apartments. If that wasn't it, I'd climb to the top of it and search for a taller one. If that failed me, I'd be forced to ask around I suppose.

Along the way, I began thinking to myself about those guards I'd encountered previously. They did end up letting me in a tad bit easier than I'd expected… maybe a bit too easy? Hmm… if they did that, they would only do that thinking on the basis that this place would be a trap for me anyway, deciding if I was planning anything sinister, I was obviously doing it undercover. If that was the case….

I stopped and looked around suspiciously.

That decided it. They were keeping watch on me. Likely with a shinobi.

Damn it! I wish I would have just dressed up as a civilian before barging in here; it would have made things 10 times easier! The fact I kept all my gear on me is making everything ridiculous. I'm not here for a bad purpose at all…

Suddenly (and to my surprise), a ninja hopped out from nowhere and stood right in front of me. He seemed calm, though half of his face was covered with a mask and headband. His white hair seemed to distract me, but only barely. And what was this deal with his orange book? Was this guy drunk? He didn't seem tipsy at all though, very calm and composed…

"Er, who are you and can I help you?", I started. I figured it must seem only normal for me to ask that.

"Hi there.", he said in a fairly quiet and calm voice. "You look new around town, do you need help finding something?"

Asking my intended destination…? I'll give it was friendly to be sure, but he was a ninja. Obviously something more was behind it; I'd assume he was asking my intention. Fine, I was tired of playing cat and mouse.

"I need help finding the Hokage's building, can you point me out to it?" I was only praying this didn't seem too terribly odd.

Unexpectedly, he pointed to the building I was headed towards. "It's the tallest one you'll see over there." An honest answer out of him? Weird….

He seemed to give off a feeble "Hmm?" as his eyes moved off. My eyes trailed his towards a tree when a single leaf fell off. Our stares returned to eachother as he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but I have to go.", he admitted before hopping away across the horizon.

I can only guess the leaf was no coincidence; it had to be a sign to leave. Was someone suspicious of me after all? Ugh, this was just getting annoying. I continued my way to the Hokage's building.

Upon reaching it, I was met with another two shinobi at the door who asked for all my weaponry before entering. I gladly handed it to them, hoping this was a sign of peace. I could just barely hear through the door while handing them my kunai a lady's voice saying "—at do you mean he asked directions here Kakashi?" Deciding not to seem like I was eavesdropping, I entered quickly and quietly. Of course, the quiet element didn't keep them from noticing I was here. Both of them quickly dropped their conversation and stared at me.

"Lady Tsunade", I began.

She stared at me intently. "Yes, what is it?", she quizzed.

I bowed graciously and said "Forgive me, I don't mean to interrupt. I'm here to speak with you." With that, Kakashi stood aside and let me walk up to her desk. She sat there with her hands flat and horizontal, fingers interweaved, her face hidden behind her hands. She stared with piercing chocolate eyes. I felt as though I was on thin ice, so I promised myself to be careful deep inside.

Not wanting to waste her time, I began my explanation.

"I'll have to give you a 2nd apology for what I've done." I reached into my pocket, making it clear I was going to pull something out before doing so, waited a moment, and showed her the sand headband I'd shown the guards at the front gate previously. "I lied to the guards, saying I was a sand shinobi here to ask for protection by your shinobi from a perceived stalker or assassin… however this is not true. This headband comes from the body of a slain Sand assassin I encountered years ago." I nearly left it at that, but then I remembered "Although, I did write the real reason I came here on the sheet they handed me, which was simply: I'm here to rest for a few days."

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "So you told a lie, is that all? Don't presume to tell me you came here for directions to a hotel." She seemed irritated.

"Of course that's not all.", I retorted. "I wouldn't waste your time with that… In fact, what I wrote on the paper as my reason for being here was only half true. I'm here for a 2nd purpose… but considering that Sarotobi is apparently no longer alive, I'm not sure I can do that."

That caught her attention. "Just what are you getting at?", she asked in apparent haste.

"Let me make it clear what kind of shinobi I really am…." And shortly thereafter, I reached into my pack (with a gulp no doubt), and showed her my sound shinobi headband. "This is my headband.", I stated simply.

Her eyes opened wide as 2 shinobi dropped from the roof, grabbing my arms and holding kunai to my throat. "What are you doing here? Speak before I give the order!", she demanded. It was obvious the 'order' was to kill me.

"Please, let me explain!", I begged. "I have no intention of harm to anyone of this village, I'm here to apologize to Sarotobi…" I could feel the knife against my neck; I tried not to breathe too deeply being careful not to press my throat against it. "I was indeed a sound ninja, but I fled from the group of attackers just minutes before the assault of Konoha began when I realized it was pointless. I pleaded with my sister and some of my friends not to go through with it, but they wouldn't listen to me… so I leapt away and watched as the attack commenced. I wished it hadn't happened; I wanted to warn Sarotobi of the danger but it had already began…"

Satisfied, the 2 ninja let go of my arms and I fell to the floor sighing.

"I'm only here to give a formal apology to Sarotobi for ever being part of such an organization and for not being quick enough to warn him in time." I told them everything I thought I had to in order to get them to not execute me.

Kakashi and Tsunade stared in interest at me.

Tsunade then stood up from her desk, walked over to me, and held out a hand. I slowly grabbed it and she helped me up to my feet. "That's a very fine purpose.", she admitted. "I understand why you had to keep your identity a secret in order to get this far… I apologize."

I looked down in embarrassment. "It's alright.", I reassured her.

She sighed and took her seat at her desk once again. "So you fled from them just before the assault…? I will never know how you managed to do that…"

"It was hard.", I confessed. "But nonetheless, here I stand." A small smile spread across my face.

"Well what to do with you…", she thought out loud before sighing and covering her hand with her palm. "This is by far one of the more interesting things I've dealt with all month."

I looked down in contemplation. "You can say that again."

--x—x—x—

Wow, that took longer than I'd expected. Oh well, doesn't make any difference to me! I'm just glad it all makes sense for you readers now. I hope to see some reviews and fan readers soon. Please review? There will be hugs in it for you (most likely along with me as a friend XD)


	3. Antics

Ok, so things went just how I'd hoped last chapter. Only a bit more left of the plot to be explained I'd guess. So let me get down to doing that and let your mind rest at ease. XD Ok, I sorri. I have too much fun with this sometimes.

Enough of my chatter, you're here for the story and that's what you're gonna get!

(Review and you get hug)

--x—x—x—

I stared down at the cold, wet, cement stone before me. I read the name on it over and over as though I'd never stop reading it through the rain which fell from the dark dawning shadows overhead. I sighed in my melancholy mood.

Had I only made it here sooner so long ago on the day that terrible assault began. Maybe Sarotobi, the body of the 3rd Hokage which lay here deep beneath the earth in front of me, would still be alive and well today. True he was fairly old in age, but personally I saw a lot of charisma left in him before he passed away… Of course I'd never met him, but I'd seen pictures of him and heard stories about him. He sounded like a very great man. I mourned deeply.

I was surprised to see Kakashi a far distance away from me, apparently near a grave as well. A rather odd shaped one I might add, but still. I left Sarotobi to his eternal rest and began to walk towards Kakashi. I hoped to sneak up on him for some unknown reason. When getting closer, I could see I was right. He was staring at a grave in front of him. I couldn't read it from here… I got about 3 yards from him before asking "So how many times am I supposed to accidentally run into you?"

He didn't move from where he was, and answered in a monotone. "I don't know really… if you didn't plan on seeing me, what did you come here for?"

I stared somewhat confused. "I'm pretty sure you were there when I confessed to Tsunade about me coming here to see your former Hokage… you have to know his grave isn't far off from here."

"Oh, that's right. Silly of me I suppose…", he trailed off.

I walked up close to him as he sighed and turned away from the gravestone. He looked at me with a rather depressed expression… I'll admit I was a tad worried.

"Do you know what it's like to lose a loved one…?", he asked unexpectedly.

I tilted my head, rather confused. Random much?

"Well…", I started. I looked down to my feet in thought and memory… "… I did say my sister and friends were involved in the attack here so long ago. Well… I'm sure you can guess what became of them since they didn't listen to me when I asked them to abandon the foolish endeavor."

He looked at me flatly, and I did my best not to look back.

"That's right… they'd be dead, wouldn't they? I'm sorry…", he pleaded.

"Even if they survived,", he continued, "and were imprisoned. They would have faced the death penalty and it would have been executed long ago as well."

I felt my heart cringe as he gave me the cold, hard, painfully-honest truth. He put his hand on my shoulder and leaned in towards me.

"I'm sorry. But don't feel alone…"

"What do you mean Kakashi…?", I asked.

He turned away from me and back to the grave. He walked back towards it and placed his palm upon the wet stone.

"This stone here… it's in honor of many of our fallen shinobi. Many of which were my best friends and comrades. We shared numerous missions and good times together. But… those days and those people are long gone. However…", he began to cry I believe. "I'm still here…", he stated solemnly. "…. I'm still here."

By this time I was nearly about to cry myself; this was a very depressing moment. Concerned, I put a walked up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Kakashi… you're right about one thing. Those people and times are gone now… but they will always live on in your heart. And the day your heart stops beating, your spirit will also remember as well. And I believe… that your soul never stops going. It is eternal. For now, you need to live in defense of this village and it's population. That's what they died for… don't let their sacrifice be in vain."

He seemed to turn towards me slightly with a sob. "I suppose you're right… Anari-kun."

This brought a smile to my face. And a question.

"Kakashi… if you don't mind me asking, do you ever wonder about having new friends…?"

He seemed to think about it for a split second.

"What's the point in wondering about it? I already do." He seemed to smile, if only slightly… and maybe fakely.

"Well, for as long as I'm here, I hope I can join that number of people you call your friends."

He looked up at me, with a sincere smile behind that mask of his and nodded. It was a bit more of a happy moment. I was glad I'd done what I'd did.

"It's getting pretty late; we should be heading back.", he decided.

"Yeah, I agree. Will I see you again tomorrow?"

"If you can manage to find me, of course."

I smiled. For a shinobi like him, that would have to do. With that, I hopped away and left him there, hoping he'd rest on what I'd said to him. As for me…? Hah. Sleep isn't for the nocturnal.

I was enjoying myself thoroughly on my way back home; the clouds were parting as the rain slowed before stopping. On the way, I couldn't help but notice something happening out on the street… there was a large, bulky man apparently harassing a young girl. She was on a bench, clearly disliking the man and wanting to get away from him, but he kept prodding at her with a grin on his face.

I'd never been known to be a particularly chivalrous man (if one is considered a man at the age of 14 that is), but there was no stopping me from intervening in some way. I stopped and hid behind the nearest building from the two, listening to make sure everything was ok. I could hear the girl pleading with the man frantically.

"Please, please stop this; I just want to go home.", she begged desperately.

"And who says you get to?", the large man insisted. That was all the motivation I needed.

I walked out casually from behind the wall and stared blankly at the man, who I could now tell was drunk… perhaps even smashed.

"What is going on here?", I asked calmly. The pink-haired girl seemed tense, yet somehow relieved I'd appeared.

"It'sh none of yer business, mister. So go on, get outta here.", he chided. Yup… clearly plastered.

"Please, help get this man away from me!", the girl asked. She leapt up from the bench she was cowering on and stood beside me. "He won't let me go home and keeps bothering me.", she claimed.

I looked at the man somewhat irritably. "Do you realize that for one, you're drunk; and for two, you're in trouble?"

He laughed once and smiled at me deviously. "I can be drunk if I want, and what're you gonna do?" He then un-sheathed a large knife and held it out to me suggestingly.

"Pff…" was my only reply as I sped behind him and landed my foot firmly in his spine, sending him flying off into the wall a few feet in front of him. "Go to bed.", I stated aggravated. After that, he didn't move… I know I couldn't have killed him; he must have fell asleep. Good, that was probably the thing he needed most right now.

I went over and hefted his body onto my shoulder, reaching in his pocket and read a business card I found in it. With his address in my hand, I had only to deal with the young girl before me.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that.", I apologized. "Please, let's get you home before someone worse comes along."

"I agree, let's go." That said, she began walking in one direction and I followed, hoping I wouldn't have to batter up another drunken idiot.

"You live this way I'd take it?"

She nodded. "Yes, in fact I was almost there before this guy showed up. I'm glad you came.", she said with a smile.

I laughed softly. "Don't mention it.", I replied.

Shortly after, we reached her house. I was stunned, she lived here? Unbelievable. To run into a thug like this one just 1 block from home.

"Is this generally a bad neighborhood?", I quizzed.

"No, he's probably the only un-savory one that walks these streets. Oh well, everything has it's flaws I suppose."

She smiled and waved at me as she walked in her house, clearly thanking me for what I'd done. I smiled back and turned away, hoping I didn't leave too much of an impression… it generally wasn't something I was fond of doing.

I took home the unconscious man and left him just inside his front door. With luck, he'd wake up fairly sober later on… and without a throbbing back I would hope.

I finally got home with a sigh, and climbed my way into bed immediately, even though I had no plan on falling asleep. I closed my eyes and thought to myself what a place this was. I'd only been here for 3 days or so, and I'd already made a friend and helped out a girl…?

This was quickly becoming my home…

--x—x—x—

Damn it! This just turned into a chapter of lunacy DX Oh well. I think next chapter should be a tad more fulfilling for a reader expecting progress. I hope I'm not letting anyone down with this. Review and show me da luuuuuuv! Pwease? –stares innocently and wags tail-


	4. Training & Name Game

Alright, so I spent an hour trying to go to sleep but I couldn't due to thinking about the story too much, for when it got down to one certain part. If I were to be 100% honest, I just wanna get there already, but I know I've been rather rushing the story thus far as it is (I know there's a lot of detail missing, but I swear there's a reason for that!) so I'm making a promise to you as my reader that I'll try not to.

Now that that's said and done, I think you guys deserve a story. =)

--x—x—x—

Thank goodness my breathing had returned to normal…. I thought I'd be hyperventilating the rest of my life the way that was going. I sheepishly trotted my way into the front room of my apartment and sighed embarrassed as I sat down on the semi-dusty dark red couch. My palms automatically glued themselves to my eye sockets.

"So that's what a nightmare is.", I figured.

I'd promised myself not to succumb to resting anytime soon, but by the time it turned 6 or so in the morning, and considering my lethargic self refused to get out of bed, it was a highly probable outcome. But who would have guessed I would dream for the first time in my life…? Strange, to be sure. But now, here I stood, my feet firmly planted in the present looking back on the past when I fell asleep… which was what, 5 hours away now? I seemed to chuckle to myself as I thought 'I hope I didn't leave anything there, I'm FAR too lazy to reach over 5 whole hours'.

Removing my hands from my eyes after rubbing them like a crying child, I could tell I slept well… maybe too well. Grr, now waking up fully was going to be a difficult task… there was no avoiding it; I was going to have to take a walk to wake up.

Soon enough, I was walking out of and locking my front door behind me, staring outwards. The sun was already high in the sky, giving me the sudden realization it was closer to afternoon than morning. Apparently adding 6 and 5 to equal 11 didn't indicate 'afternoon' in my mind. Early morning idiocy on my part? Likely. Half awake, I shuffled out onto the main path and began trudging down the road. Looking around, it struck me as odd how many people I witnessed… I wonder if this was really a village. This was more of a population than I planned on…

Eventually, the walk began to speed itself up going around other unknown streets. I accidentally stumbled upon what was, to my best guess, training grounds… and what do you know; I spied with my little eye the very same pink-haired girl I'd seen just the night before. She was staring very intently at a distant tree… that is, until the peripheral vision of her jade eyes caught hold of me (who was unknown to himself standing and staring like a baka) and decided I was a fairly nice distraction. She waved and smiled at me, which acted as a guide for me to come over while putting on a smile of my own to match hers. At least, if nothing else, I could have the courtesy to ask her name this time.

Now it was MY eyes that were conflicted as where to look. At her or… shit! I suddenly sprinted towards her with a speed I'd never known this shortly after awakening. I could only hope I was going to make it in time…

I was only glad my wish didn't fall on deaf ears as my slender fingers clenched tightly around the handle of a deadly kunai… which was formerly flying STRAIGHT for the neck of this girl. I turned towards the aforementioned tree knowing it had to come from there… and to my confusion, it was Kakashi who leaped out from its branches.

"Eeep!" Clearly she wasn't planning on this happening.

"Kakashi… what on earth is going on here?", I asked in half concern, half surprise.

He temporarily ignored the question. "Sakura,", he started. "I told you looking away was a bad idea, didn't I?"

The girl sighed and hung her head. "Maybe, but keeping watch for 3 hours is ridiculous. Even if I understand the purpose of it."

Staring at her, it quickly made sense that Sakura was her name. How pretty… it was fitting. Judging from the kunai she was holding all the while, and from Kakashi's sentence, it was clear they were here training. If the location didn't give that away… And beyond that, I knew this exercise. I'd done it countless times myself. Keep watch for an extended amount of time for a projectile to fly at you, and block it when it comes. Only…

"Well don't get too comfortable with it; tomorrow I'll be having you block it from an unknown place.", Kakashi challenged.

Oh, so he WAS gonna put that spin onto it. Sakura only stared with a hanging jaw, which I couldn't help but giggle over… just a little.

Kakashi's gaze drifted towards me with that still same calmness his voice always seemed to carry. "I think you understand what we're doing by now." He laughed a bit as well. "Sakura, I'll take it you know this boy?", he asked.

She smiled a tad and nodded while looking towards me. "Yup, he was the one who helped me with that drunken man last night I mentioned. Only… I never got to ask your name." Calling me from 'he' to 'you' in the same sentence…? She must be tired too. She's indecisive as to whom exactly she was talking to.

"Oh, I see.", said Kakashi. "Well his—" I looked to him and shook my head slightly. He noticed thankfully, and continued seeming to understand my intention. "— I mean, he's actually become a friend of mine recently. It's good to know that he's trustworthy… but I have to apologize to both of you. I actually have to leave now. You two take care." I smiled deep inside; that was… probably the best answer I could have wanted him to give.

Sakura merely nodded and said her goodbyes to her sensei as he walked away casually. I'd have to thank him for not mentioning my name to her later.

With Kakashi gone, she whipped around towards me and held a finger out towards my nose, as though to blame something on me. It was hardly threatening… her eyes were distracting me too much…

"I hope you don't think I didn't see that.", she accused. I looked away in defeat.

"Now tell me your name." I could feel her smiling at me warmly.

"Only if you promise me not to try to remember it.", I answered.

"That's a very strange name.", she joked. I couldn't help but wonder if it was sad that I had enough of a sense of humor to actually laugh at that. She did too, after hearing me do so.

"Ok, now seriously this time. And why wouldn't you want me to remember it?" I knew that would spark a question in her…

"It's Anari… and don't ask. Just do me the favor and try not to let it haunt you."

She frowned in either concern or confusion; it was hard to tell which. "I'm glad you told me Anari-kun… but I don't get to know your last name? And what do you have to hide?"

I smirked. "I won't tell mine till I know yours, Sakura-chan.", I promised her. It… somehow pleased me to say her name.

"That's fine. It's Haruno… and you?" And how I wish I could have answered instead of dropping the kunai…

Promptly after hearing her surname, I fell to the ground in sudden pain. I knew this was going to happen, but I didn't plan on it being now… my vision blurred and my hearing muffled. I'd never had it this badly before… I could only see Sakura's figure kneeling over me.

"Anari… Anari, what's wrong? Are you ok; what's the matter?"

It was going dark. No fair… I wanted to answer the question…

Zzzzzzzzz…

--x—x—x—

Oh no! What happened to Anari I wonder. Well if you wanna find out, all you have to do is press that little button below that says review ;) You should do so; he's counting on it!


	5. Discussion

Woot, Ch. 5. I feel like progress is being made. Some of the beginning of this was intended to be in the 4th chapter, but I felt if I didn't end it there, it was gonna go on for a whole nother page and a half of Microsoft word… which was absolutely ridiculous, so that was the best cliffhanger/chapter break I could manage to spot.

With last chapter, I was trying to improve my WPC (words per chapter), and I found that with it, I went up from 1436.3 to 1437.7. That's 1.4 WPC increase. XD Cutting it close much?

Bah, I'll shuddup now (I'm gewd at it =3) and letcha read on like I know you want to.

--x—x—x—

That word…. it kept re-playing over and over again in my head. Where, in all of this darkness, did this word come from…? Had the sound of the word been much less pleasing to my ears, I'd be tired of hearing it…

The black that seemed to engulf me was now opening… a horizon of light was beginning to shine through. They usually tell you to stay away from the light, but something was calling me on the other side of it… something I knew in my heart I had to answer to.

I opened my eyelids and let the sight of Sakura staring at me fill my vision.

"… Kedoke…", I uttered weakly.

She gave a sigh and wrapped her arms around me. Had I never opened my eyes again and let the darkness keep me, I would have never felt this embrace of hers… she seemingly never let go. It was so warm and comfortable… it was the first time I'd ever been held. Something inside of me yearned and begged to put my arms around her as well, but I wasn't sure if I should… sadly, she thereafter let go and smiled at me.

"Anari Kedoke…" She sounded nearly sad.

"What was the hug for?" I had to know.

"You can take that as a 'thank you' for helping me that night with the drunken man, earlier from Kakashi's training… and as a 'I'm glad you're ok' confession."

And I could only manage to laugh before hopping up from the hospital bed I was laying in while pulling out the feeding tube from my nose and hug her back.

"Then here's your 'thank you' for bringing me here… I owe you." It joyed me to tell her that.

"You don't owe me a thing, you nut", she assured me while pushing me back down on the hospital bed. "The only thing you owe is an explanation." Crap. I didn't see how I was going to get out of this one.

"Why… why did you do this? What did you gain from refusing to eat for so long…?", she asked while staring.

I sighed, thinking to myself the real answer, but also knowing it wasn't one I could just tell her. At the same time, she probably wasn't going to stop wondering until I told her. I quickly ran through my list of verbal answers, and I found my optimal option while reaching into my pocket and looking at the calendar on the wall behind her. Thankfully, whoever was using this calendar was kind enough to cross off days already passed, informing me only 2 had done so since I was last conscious.

I pulled out the money I had been fingering in my pocket momentarily and showed it to her, before taking her hand, placing it in her palm, and closing her hand around it.

"What's this for…?" She was obviously confused, noticing I had given her quite a bit of it.

"Give it to the person who works here… tell them that's for taking care of me." I smirked a little. "And for the window."

With that, I jumped up off the bed and shoved shoulder-first through the window, which I soon realized was on the 6th floor of the building… no problem. I leapt away quickly, hoping I'd evade Sakura and not have to answer to why I'd starved myself to this point. At one point, I thought I saw her following… I was wishing I'd planned on this but I hadn't. I ran through the alley and backyards of many places I didn't know, lost in the village. Eventually, I found my way by accident back to my apartment complex and quickly locked myself away inside. Phew… all this just so a question would remain unanswered.

I sat back down on the red sofa where I had 2 mornings ago, waiting for enough time to pass to feel assured I'd lost her…

The moment I looked to the clock, my door creaked open, with Sakura standing in the doorway. Needless to say: Damn it.

"Weren't you going to give the money to those doctors?", I questioned innocently.

"I left it there; they'll figure it out. Weren't you ever taught the correct way to exit a building?", she said while coming in and closing the door behind her.

"It wasn't clear enough I didn't want to explain why I'd not eaten to you…?", I asked, trying my best not to sound TOO rude about it.

She smiled and sat down beside me. "And it's not obvious that I'm gonna force you to?"

"Actually it's not. It's just clear you're gonna TRY… no guarantee you'll succeed." I only hoped the subtle hint wasn't overly subtle.

"I'll try for as long as I have to… first trying to hide your name, and now not telling why you're anorexic… I wouldn't imagine you as someone who would have anything to hide. So why are you trying so hard to prove me wrong?"

I sighed again, and sat limp on my couch.

"Anari, just tell me. It'll get you a lot farther than running away…"

I stared off in thought. "Can I ask why it is that you go so far for me…?"

"I'll tell you the truth. While you were asleep, word of what happened to you got around and made its way to Tsunade. She came in to see you for herself, and I happened to be there by accident. I told her the story and she actually assigned me to watch over you for the duration of your stay here in Konoha… or until she calls me off, whichever comes first."

I was stunned deep inside at her response. "Then she's still suspicious of me… and were you allowed to tell me this?"

She laughed a bit. "Well I kind of had to… I can't exactly stalk you across an entire village and not mention why. Tsunade knew this, so of course it was allowed."

I looked away. "That's true I suppose…" A smile smeared itself on my face. "I'm glad you told me. Arigatou."

She giggled at me. "Don't mention it. But if I were to tell the whole truth, I'm actually a bit interested in you myself… I'm convinced you'd make a half-decent friend."

"You are…?" Confusion engulfed me.

"Yes, I am", she replied. "I've never heard your clan name before… and were you always a sound shinobi?" I could tell she was soon realizing she may have asked something a tad too personal about me and seemed apologetic.

"No, I wasn't always", I answered. This seemed to relieve her tension as she lost some of her pale-ness. "And my clan is very rarely heard of to be honest."

"Is there a reason for that?", she prodded.

"I'm not entirely sure I wanna mention that either."

"Of course you don't, but I'm here to get the answer. Remember?"

"That's not what I mean. It's just…" My gaze sank to the floor and the rest of my body seemed to shrink a bit with it. "It's a bit of a painful memory. Ok?" I wasn't sure how she would react.

She put a hand on my shoulder and stared tentatively. "That only makes me want to know more…"

"Why?" I was praying I didn't sound like a whining child.

"I told you before; I want to be your friend… that means opening up to one another and trusting eachother enough to admit when something's wrong." I knew she was right; I had no argument.

"Then before I do something rude on accident, can I ask how you're doing Sakura-chan?" I was aware that may have seemed slightly random. Embarrassing myself was my apparent forte at the moment.

"I'm fine… if I wasn't, I probably wouldn't be doing my job and trying to pry my way into you… or at least not this much."

"Then you understand the idea people need space…" My stare defied gravity and drifted upward. "If only…."

The 2 words which could tie the knot between the sad reality of the world as it is… and the world we imagine under different circumstances in our attempt to breach the walls of the unknown.

Those words of a final desperation for events long past.

If only…

--x—x—x—

Wewt! It's a smaller chapter than I hoped on but idc! Things are dragging along as the story goes on. I think it's pretty clear I like to see progress in my stories and it's being made. Xiira-kun happi. =3 –wags tail- Alright, for the time being, I have a rough idea of how chap 6 will go but not entirely. I may have to leave it to dust for awhile, but I promise my readers I will come back and continue. Soon. =)


	6. Explanation

Chapter 6! I know I lately I haven't been updating this as often as I used to, so to any fan readers, my apologies. It's just that I knew what this chapter was going to be about, and I had written an outline for it, but I lost that sheet and after looking for it for forever, I decided I must have lost it in the trash somewhere. So I had to remember all of it. Thank Kami for my erratic photographic memory. XD

Just to clarify how this is gonna work, the ENTIRE chapter is a recollection from Anari's view of the significant parts of his past. So the story goes, he's remembering this all while still in the apartment with Sakura… the closest relevant term I can think up for it at the moment is an inner monologue. Anywho, I believe this is as close as I'll be able to get, so I'm typing this out now before I forget. Cheers!

--x—x—x—

Connect. Disconnect. Connect. Disconnect. Connect. Disconnect…

It was all I could see around me. Connecting and Disconnecting.

The Kedoke clan. The house name of a clan that none knew existed. From the early ages when the ancestors of the clan realized the power they had found within their kekkei genkai, they knew others would be greedy enough to try to assimilate it from them by any means necessary. Even if that would be to kill and dissect them. They were trusting of no-one other than themselves, and they fled from every civilization they came across until they reached their destination: The snow country. From there, they dug. Deep into the snow and the soil below they dug out an underground tunnel and eventually, a cave. And in time, that turned into the size of a crater. The Kedoke clan went missing from the world. In actuality, they were hiding, and growing in number….

It was a happy life. The ancestors of the clan had brung with them the memories of the world they'd once lived in, and made the lives of them and their children within The Cavern as it came to be called just as sophisticated as the world above. Of course, it was still a bit differential from the outside… no trees, no sky, no new area to be explored… in fact, the only 2 explorations that existed were professions: Mining, which was to increase the size of The Cavern as need be for the 1.4 million Kedoke's, and retrieving was the only means by which anyone was allowed to go through The Tunnel. And that was merely for the purpose of bringing back needed supplies, as well as recon on the newest innovations they'd developed so we might re-create them down here. Everyone was taught this heritage and understood why we had to keep ourselves hidden.

Of course, their kekkei genkai made life a lot easier than most people are led to believe. Most known kekkei genkai's are generally useful and specific only to shinobi. However, theirs was far more useful than that. It made everything easier. Simple everyday problems to mass scale construction and demolition. However, this was also detrimental to their society. Crime was also easier to commit because of it. And just as easy to stop. It changed everything… everything…

-x-x-x-x-

Hours later, after long drawn out processes of poking and prodding at him, Sakura stared in wonder as I finally gave in and explained all of this to her.

"Wow…" She looked down in contemplation. "That is a lot to take in… but if everyone lived in The Cavern, I would imagine you did too at one time. So how did you end up as a sound shinobi?"

"You're fairly sharp for your age." I laughed a bit, causing her stare to go from imaginative to slightly annoyed.

"Hey, I'm only 2 years younger than you.", she shot back.

"I know, I was only kidding Sakura." She laughed with me.

"But that doesn't answer the question… tell me." She smiled; seemingly satisfied as though she knew she was going to get the answer. And she was right.

"Well… to put it as simply as I can, it's because I was expelled."

"How so?" A confused look took its form on her face.

"Literally kicked out of The Cavern. Never to return. Sadly enough, my little sister loved me too much, and she followed me out. We both fell to the sound recruitment and were forced to fight against the leaf village. I fled of course, but my sister was too afraid of being caught and killed to attempt it with me. So ironically enough, she unwillingly went in the fight… and lost her life. I will never forget her…" I refused to let the tears well up inside.

Sakura just sat there beside me, staring as though she'd just found out I had cancer. "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be, it's not your fault.", I assured her. "It's alright, I'm over it now. Promise."

"I know you were taught not to trust people like me, but… can I know what your kekkei genkai is?"

"I think I can trust you with that much…" I held out my hand and she instinctively knew to grab it.

"You mentioned connecting, construction, disconnecting, and demolition, right?" I nodded to her question.

It's as simple as this… and I began performing it on her hand. She began to stare, knowing something felt different. She tried to turn her hand over at the sensation, but she couldn't. At first she thought I wouldn't let go, but I could see the realization slowly sink in on her face. I wasn't holding on.

"What the hell is—…"

"Bend your fingers backwards. I'll do the same. You'll see it.", I interrupted.

We did, and she looked and saw it. At first, it didn't seem to make sense to her, but eventually, she began to get it… with a steadily increasing panic.

"Anari… our hands… they're…" She couldn't quite find the word. "… connected?", she blurted out.

"Hai. A Kedoke's kekkei genkai is this: They can take the cells of objects which are touching and interweave them, so long as we are touching said objects. Your hand was touching mine, therefore I can mold them together."

She looked up at me wildly. "You're insane! Can you—"

No sooner had she began the sentence than I separated our hands. She looked down at her hand, same as she remembered moments ago. No variation from what it had been before I had done that. She calmed down a bit as I began to laugh. "Did you think I would do that if I seriously COULDN'T separate us?"

"True…", she sighed. "That just took me by surprise… and you're absolutely right; that would make a lot of things simpler. Simple repairs, tailoring…" She trailed off at a loss of uses for it.

"Mining.", I added. "We never dug like you'd think, we just atomized the rocks in the way. And when structural integrity was in question, we'd just re-stabilize everything we thought might come crumbling down. And like I said, crime was also easier to commit. Imagine holding someone hostage while robbing a bank… and when I say holding, I mean melding your hand with a young child which was too young to know how to un-meld herself from it. Imagine undoing locked doors. Imagine the terrorist groups that formed and tried to bring The Cavern down on top of all of us."

She stared back at me, just as in shock as she had previously.

"Now imagine how much worse it would be if we had stayed in society and affected people who we trapped somewhere… What would happen, right now Sakura, if I attached your wrists to the wall? Would I tickle you to death, just cause it would be funny? Could I beat the hell out of you for no reason at all; rape you even? It was clear why we had to hide ourselves from everyone. Anyone with our last name would have been hunted to extinction, just because of how dangerous the crimes we committed were. It was a precaution to save and protect multiple lives. The lives of this world and of our own." I looked down, thinking to myself what a baka I must be… I just spilled out my entire heritage, and to who? This girl who wanted to be my friend… I must be off my rocker.

"Anari… I never had any clue… to be a Kedoke clan member is to live a life… that literally no-one else can understand." Her jaw hung open as what she had just said began to truly dawn on her.

"And the sad part is that's not the half of it…"

Her gaze drifted back up to me hastily as I uttered those words. "That's right. What were they thinking when they expelled you; why'd they do it?"

"Quite simply… I possess a certain rare variation on our power. The kind most Kedoke's have is called Contact. Mine was dubbed Range… for a very obvious reason. Watch." I held my hand out towards a distant picture hung on the wall, and her eyes drifted to where my arm was pointed. We observed as the picture frame sunk into the wall; the photo becoming distorted with the cells of the lavender wall. Then just as easily as it had sunk in, both picture and frame came out and re-hung themselves as normal.

"I get it… you don't need to touch a thing to make the cells connect. That's… amazing… you could do practically anything…" Her breaths became shallow. She was figuring out just how powerful such an ability is.

"The only thing keeping me from being likely the most dangerous being in existence is not having telekinesis." She looked to me with the same horror in her eyes as I'd seen from every Kedoke member that saw me do this. While it was amusing to watch thoughts crawl their way across her face, I knew what was coming.

"Anari… how many other Kedoke's can do this? How many of them have range rather than contact?"

"Other than myself… only 1 other recorded instance of a Kedoke having range rather than contact exists. In terms of fractions, 1 out of every 700,000. And who was the other lucky Kedoke?" I chuckled to myself knowing how ridiculous the answer was. "One of the ancestors to our clan, and a founder of The Cavern. So logically, I'm likely his great great great and so on grandson. And that ties back to why they expelled me. He went missing. They thought he just fled through The Tunnel but oh no; he was still in The Cavern. And he was the number 1 man on our list of most wanted criminals. In fact, he still was when I left; they hadn't caught him. To the extent of my knowledge, he could still be. They feared I'd follow his footsteps and decided to push me away before I could do any damage."

"But… weren't they concerned about the security of The Cavern… I mean, from other people finding it? How could they kick you out knowing you could tell anyone – like me for instance – everything?"

"I honestly don't know. My best guess: Either one of the two following concepts was running in their minds. 1: It didn't cross their mind at all… and if that's the case, then they must have just been extremely worried about the crimes I'd commit. If not that, then 2: They figured if I told everything to somebody and The Cavern was discovered, that I'd actually be the first to be targeted for dissection. Think about it… 1 out of every 700,000. So if they're half as smart as I'd hope, they were thinking the latter."

"Yeah, you're right. That has to be it. Even if that wasn't what they were thinking, it's still true…"

I looked to the floor and, in my own mind, began drifting apart from her. I could feel from her stare that she knew what I was worried about. She scooted towards me on the couch and took my hand, breaking my mental image of being so far apart from her.

"Anari,", she pleaded, "please trust me. I don't want to see you cut up and examined… I don't care if our village or mankind doesn't possess your power. In fact, it's so dangerous… I think it's better if no-one had it. Including you… I'd probably be right to say it makes your life harder rather than easier. Am I right?"

"And I thought I was doing my best to keep from seeming like an open book.", I muttered. "I do trust you Sakura. If I hadn't, I would have never told you a thing. But… I've misled you this whole time in calling this kekkei genkai a power. It's closer to a curse than anything else. Everyone who knows of this power wants it… mankind has wanted to fly ever since they learned they couldn't. It's a fight to survive… a fight I don't plan on losing."

"Wait a second, it just occurred to me…", she gasped. I think I had some clue what she was wondering. "You said your ancestor, the other one with range was still wanted when you were expelled… 1.4 million people don't grow from a mere few in just a few years. That takes centuries… so what's the deal; why hasn't he died from old age!?" The fear in her voice was obvious.

"I wish I could answer that Sakura… I don't have a clue. No-one does… since he had range, people believed that it made you age slowly or immortal. However, I age normally… and I don't think one who's immortal would be affected by lack of food. So as the saying goes… the world may never know." We both laughed for a second.

"So… ever since you fled from the assault here on Konoha, where have you been?"

I sighed and stared at the ceiling, my whole body limp. "Wandering… no, that's not the right word for it. Running, I should say."

"From what?", she pressed on.

I looked back to her, moving only my eyes. "Why so curious?"

"To be perfectly honest… it's a nice story Anari. And because… you've kept it bottled up inside all these years. I know that can't be healthy for you…"

I shut my eyes with a sigh, knowing she was right. "You are too caring for me… I never did anything to deserve such a friend."

She took my hand again with a smile. "Please?" Grr, I hated it when girls could be that charming.

"Oh alright… but only because you asked." I pouted inside.

She giggled. "Arigato."

I smirked. "I should be the one telling you that, shouldn't I?"

She held up a finger at me. "No, you should be the one continuing the story."

"Later." I pointed to a clock on the wall. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

She followed my direction and saw just how late it was. "Oh Kami… not good. I've got to go… gomen. You're gonna tell me the rest of that later!" She ran out the door and closed it behind her in a rush. I ran outside after her, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Not even a normal goodbye." I laughed with a smirk still on my face. "That girl, I swear." I turned to go back inside but my surprise, my heart got some exercise. Sakura was standing right behind me (which scared me to death) and gave me a warm hug.

"That better?"

I only hugged back, the smile slowly regenerating itself on my face. "Yes. Thank you… for everything." With that, she hopped away over rooftops. I only hoped I hadn't made her late for something.

Getting back inside, I flopped over on my bed, exhausted from talking so much. "I need a drink.", I admitted.

--x—x—x—

Unless I'm mistaken, that should be my largest chapter thus far (6 pages on Microsoft word). Hope you got a bit closer to your reading quota for the day with this. XD And I'm glad the friendship theme is starting to get along a bit further, along with Anari's past now coming clear. Chapter 7 may take awhile to come to be due to other current projects, so we'll see how things work out. Until then my dark disciples! Muahahaha! XD


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